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It's not ALWAYS rainy in Seattle, no matter what 'The Killing' shows

June 21, 2011 | 3:51
pm

Today's forecast in Seattle is sunny, clear and beautiful.

That report may surprise fans of "The Killing," the AMC murder mystery set in Seattle that just completed its first season Sunday. The series -- which actually was filmed in Vancouver -- portrayed Seattle as a dark, depressing and clouded city where the rain fell in unforgiving torrents. At times the rainfall appeared so oppressive that it almost seemed to drown the principal characters.

While fans of the series continued to fume and debate the controversial first season finale -- which seemed to skirt the question of whether the killer of teenager Rosie Larsen was caught -- an executive of the city's Chamber of Commerce took the somewhat unflattering portrayal of the city in stride.

"Right now I'm looking out the window and it's gorgeous," said Christina Donegan, communications vice president of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce. "Yes, it does rain a lot, and people do tend to drink a lot of coffee here. But it really doesn't rain like it shows in 'The Killing.' "

Insiders say the show's rain machine often mixed in with the natural rainfall in Vancouver during filming. They also noted that the machine operated at one speed: heavy.

Donegan said television shows and movies often depict Seattle as a rain-drenched metropolis: "People just have that perception. But we always look at that with tongue in cheek. This is a city you come to regardless of the weather: It's a great place to live and a great place to visit."

"The Killing" did get one thing right, Donegan said: The police detectives never let the torrential rain get in the way. "And we don't let the rain bother us, either. We carry on."